Tortured Dreams
by PenelopePurple12
Summary: Nightmares plague the young boy every night, and a storm has blown in. Can a certain butler help Ciel recover from his nightmare hell? Short story, SebXCiel.
1. Chapter 1

**PP12: This story contains small amounts of torture, just to warn you. But it also contains fluff. Enjoy.**

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_"M-mother! Father! Where are you?!"_

_The little lost boy ran helplessly through the fiery corridors and surrounding flames that destroyed the manor brick by brick, the bright colour of the flames reflecting the frightened tears streaming down his cheeks. _

_"Father!" he cried as he pushed the door open, only to encounter the silhouette of his deceased parents within the furious fire. The boy's eyes widened with fear. He fell to his knees and began to sob. _

_"No...no..."_

"NO!"

The abrupt sound of thunder woke Ciel from his nightmare, causing him to bolt upright from his bed with a scream. Panting heavily, he looked around to notice that the horrid flames were gone and replaced with darkened walls of his bedroom. His wide alert eyes faintly drooped as he listened to the pattering rain against the windowsill. He clenched his chest tightly, feeling his heart thump frantically against the palm of his hand. It was just a dream. Just the same accursed dream.

Ciel sighed as he collapsed against the pillows; he had the worst of luck when it came to having pleasant dreams. It was only rare that he would dream of anything but the fire that engulfed his home two years ago. He remembered the sea of agony he felt when he saw his father on that chair, not saying a word, nor moving a muscle. Ciel's stomach twisted remembering the sight of his mother's face sewed with his. The memory made him sick. He recalled the labyrinth of towering walls consumed by raging flames, overpowering the much younger and afraid self he used to be. To think a tragedy like that would happen on his birthday made him chuckle dryly.

"Happy birthday to me," he murmured, his voice drowned in melancholy.

Ciel tensed when he heard the soft rumbling of thunder. This was another problem that bothered him greatly. Ever since he was a child he had always been afraid of thunderstorms and would often peep shyly in his parents' bedroom whenever one occurred. They immediately offered him a place in their bed without hesitation and with welcome arms. Ciel openly admitted he grew stronger since their death, yet he couldn't deny that he missed the warm comfort he was given. But it wasn't like he would receive any at this point. The people who truly mattered to him were long gone.

He jolted a bit after hearing three knocks against his door.

"Master, are you alright? I heard you screaming."

Ciel remained silent hoping if he pretended he was asleep Sebastian would leave. He curled himself into a ball and waited, hearing his own breath within the silence. His thoughts cursed when he heard the door knob twist and the soft creaking of the door opening as Sebastian entered the bedroom, holding a candelabrum that feebly eradicated the darkness.

"I know you are not asleep, my Lord," Sebastian said. Ciel hid his face as the sound of soft footsteps approached the bed and the light of the candles neared him. He gently set the candelabrum on the drawer and gazed with amusement at the childish yet adorable display. "Did you honestly think you could fool me?"

"Go away..." Ciel muttered quietly.

A smirk curved at the butler's lips and he knelt so his face looked directly at the younger's, though his navy locks were only visible since his face was hidden beneath his cocoon.

"Could it be another nightmare?" Sebastian inquired.

"I said go away."

Sebastian sighed at his young lord's stubbornness. It annoyed him greatly, but it also entertained him. He never encountered a soul more stalwart as his and he found himself growing more and more interested after every given order. Though seeing the small earl look so vulnerable shielded in the covers made the demon feel concerned; he did hear him scream after all.

He rose to his feet and bowed deeply. "Very well. Forgive me for disrupting you."

Ciel didn't see him clutch the candelabrum and walk out of the room, never noticing the troubled expression on the butler's face. The door shut with a soft click and the little earl was alone.

He shifted so he was facing the window, very little light seeping passage through the curtains caused by the illuminating moonlight, the windowpane dimly blocking out the haunting hoots of owls. Ciel sighed irritably; how was he supposed to sleep with all the noise? He dreaded even thinking of falling asleep, especially when all he could dream about was…

Ciel shook his head. He faced blood, gore and death millions of times, and never flinched whenever he killed someone or hesitated when he ordered Sebastian to do the killing. He had grown tired of seeking comfort because of pathetic dreams like some scared little child. He was the Earl Phantomhive, watchdog of the underworld. He could handle anything.

Right?

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Sebastian decided to re-polish the dishes to pass the time, and hopefully distract himself from the growing discomfort. He began to ponder; whatever made him so uneasy? The chaotic servants were beyond asleep to cause trouble, and everything in the manor was perfect from top to bottom. No intruders looked like they were trespassing for the night, and to top it off, the kittens he secretly hid were fed, groomed and put to bed. As he finished polishing the last set of tableware, Sebastian sensed a storm approaching with his incredible sensitive hearing. He knew that his master was afraid of thunderstorms even if he didn't show it to him. The demon had noticed him trembling within the covers while to the untrained eye he merely looked still. Sebastian frowned as the discomfort plagued within him. This uneasiness was new to him, and he somehow liked it, but disliked it at the same time. Could he possibly… No. Sebastian quickly denied it. It just wasn't possible. But it explained so much.

He cared about him.

...

Ciel tossed and turned violently in the covers as he tried to escape the menacing faces grinning at him. They laughed and poked every area of his body as more of them surrounded him. Ciel was lying upon a stone counter, his arms spread apart and held in place as the brand lowered towards his exposed torso. The patience was torturously slow as Ciel watched the steam from the red-hot stamp rise to form swirly patterns standing out within the dark. He clenched his eyes shut when it came in contact with his body, screaming as the mark burned his skin.

_"See? You've gotten so much lovelier now," _one of the faces smiled cruelly, ignoring the pleading cries of protest from the small boy. He tried to wriggle himself free but the hands holding him back were too firm. He wished with all his might that someone would come for him and rescue him from the torturous ritual. Tears seeped his eyes when he realised such a thing was impossible.

_Please… someone help me. Anyone, someone! PLEASE!_

...

Ciel gasped after he returned to the real world, amazingly without screaming, though he frowned with annoyance when he noticed the crumpled sheets that were thrashed as he was sleeping. Sweat trickled down his face and it took a while before his heartbeat slowed to its regular pace. To make matters worse, the room was still dark as if not even an hour had passed, and the rain outside was getting heavier. Ciel put a hand to his cheek where he felt a wet trail that made him realise a tear had trickled. The earl sighed and gazed at his bedroom door as he imagined his parents standing there; his mother opening her arms for Ciel to leap into, and his father holding a candelabrum whispering with a smile, "It's alright. We're here, nothing can harm you now." Ciel's imaginings were short lived when he found himself staring at darkness after he blinked. He took a deep breath, trying so hard not to cry. There was nothing more he hated than being weak. His head fell back against the pillows and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest after a sudden struck of thunder rumbled from outside.

Ciel gritted his teeth; it looks like it won't be an easy night after all.

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**PP12: At first I was going to make this a one-shot, but since I couldn't wait so long to update I'm putting this story into 2 or 3 chapters, depending on how deep I go with the plot. So yeah, you can kinda see where I'm heading with this. Hope you like it so far :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**PP12: Ah, sorry this took a while to upload. *rubs back of neck nervously* Thanks for the reviews guys :)**

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The scent of honey filled the air as Sebastian poured the hot milk into the tea-cup. It was proved that the combination of warm milk and honey is flawless for recovering from bad dreams, as he learnt that during his first days of serving Ciel. The reoccurring of nightmares turned out to be a routine; Sebastian would hear his master screaming and immediately rush to his side, only to be ordered to exit the room. Ciel always hid his face, not allowing the butler to see his tears. Sebastian found that incredibly frustrating yet it was also so amusingly childish. To believe that the head of the Phantomhive family and her majesty's police dog would cower under the covers is enough to cause destruction in Undertaker's shop. But Sebastian sighed; in the end he was only a child. He had no-one to turn to. Madame Red was long gone, and his short friendship with Abberline ended in a flash. By each death the young boy's soul flavoured with so much mourning yet he veiled it with the last amount of strength he possessed. Sebastian fancied that strength. Each passing day he could almost taste it.

Once he had prepared the warm milk, he ventured upstairs to the dark corridor in search of Ciel's bedroom. He froze when he heard a muffled whimper. When the silence returned, he slowly approached the earl's door and knocked it softly, being cautious not to alarm the child.

"My lord, may I come in?" he requested.

No answer seeped through the door, not even a sound. Sebastian waited until he heard another whimper. A frown appeared on his face at the distressed noise, so innocent and plagued with horror. He wasted no time when he opened the door and met a startled Ciel with his body fully sheltered in the covers within the dim-lighted room.

Ciel was noticeably shaking. Sebastian had to admit the sight looked adorable.

"Wh…who are you…l-leave me alone…"

"Master, it's only me. You can come out of the covers."

Ciel flinched when he recognised his voice. It was only when he heard the voice of his butler that he knew he had returned to reality. Somehow he felt warmth lift into his heart, soothing him and comforting him, but it lasted no longer then seconds when he realised Sebastian did not feel sympathy unlike Ciel's parents. The thought was absurd. How can a demon soothe him when he feels no emotion?

"I've prepared some warm milk for you with plenty of honey, I'm certain it will calm you down."

Warm milk and honey. Ciel knew it would work, but he was still frightened to show himself. No, humiliated would be more precise. He thought for certain once he revealed himself Sebastian would laugh at his pitiful weakness. He winced when he felt a hand rest upon the covers.

"Please, my lord, don't be afraid."

The gentle tone was enough the lure the boy out of hiding. Trembling, he crawled out of the covers and was surprised to see Sebastian looking at him without a smirk curving his lips. No trace of amusement or mock appeared on his face, although it was hard to tell his features with the amount of light in the room.

"See? Nothing is here to harm you," Sebastian said softly, handing him the cup of milk. Ciel hesitantly brought the cup to his lips and immediately relaxed when the sweetness of the honey met his tongue.

"It's...nice..." Ciel murmured after he sipped the milk, beginning to grow tired when he felt the warm liquid flow down his throat. Ciel couldn't see it, but Sebastian smiled at the innocent act.

"Did the young master have trouble sleeping again?" he asked whilst being mindful not to tease him, for if he did he would immediately be sent out of the room. Ciel didn't say a word and he placed the tea cup on the coaster, the clinking of the cup sounding slightly rattled as if Ciel's hand had been shaking. Sebastian removed the warm milk from him and without his master's permission sat beside him on the bed.

"I'm not going to make fun of you, it would be disrespectful of me as your butler. Why don't you tell me what the nightmare was about?"

"Why should I tell you?" Ciel spat. He whipped his head and angrily met Sebastian's stunned gaze. "You would never understand."

"Now don't say such things-"

"Don't ever tell me what not to say. I won't let you fool me Sebastian. Now get out of my room."

"Master-"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Ciel demanded harshly. "I said get out, now."

Sebastian blinked at the earl's command and remained silent. A few seconds ago Ciel was quivering with fear like some lost little child, but suddenly he transformed into the rock-hard side of his soul, cold and unbreakable.

The demon got off the bed and pulled the covers over Ciel who turned his face away from him. With a short bow, Sebastian abided and exited the room as Ciel lied in bed with what appeared to be tears forming in his eyes. He let them trail like the raindrops falling slowly down the windowpane and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that morning would appear as soon as he opened them. His mind constantly told him what haunted him more than he expected as he cried himself to sleep that night.

_He will never care._

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**PP12: Don't worry guys, the story won't end there! Got one chapter to go and I swearzies this story will have a happy ending.**


	3. Chapter 3

**PP12: Oh. My. Anime. I am so sorry to keep you all waiting. I mean seriously, I missed doing this stuff, but school managed to slip its way onto my list of important things, but YAY! The holidays have started so I'm free to write again! I'm gonna have to write a huge apology for when I finally update on my other fanfictions ^^;**

**So yeah, this chapter may be a bit OOC, and I know I said I would end the story on this chapter but because I haven't updated for ages I wanted to publish this chapter straightaway and make the next chapter the final chapter. SWEARZIES THIS TIME. Pinkie promise. I swear on Grell's magical death scythe and pink unicorns I won't change my mind.**

**Thanks for the reviews by the way, as always they make me feel good about myself :)**

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Sebastian sighed as he wandered through every room of the mansion to find that everything was cleaned, prepared and straightened for the morrow. The demon was left with nothing to do for the next six hours and even worse he continued worrying about his little master. He decided to return to his own room where his sleeping kittens would keep him company, and where his books he hoped could distract him. At least he didn't have to worry about dealing with the three stooges for the night.

Just as he approached the door to his room, Sebastian turned his head towards the end of the hallway when he heard Ciel scream once again. Carrying a candelabrum he raced through the corridor and found that the servants have awoken and stood before him with worried expressions.

"What are you lot doing up?" Sebastian asked them firmly.

"We heard the young master scream!" Mey-Rin exclaimed and Finnian nodded with tears leaking from his eyes.

"H-has someone taken him?" Finnian stuttered.

"No-one has taken him," Sebastian said with a sigh, "I'll take care of this. All of you go back to bed."

"You sayin' we can't do nothin' to help him, is that right?" Bard questioned with a grumble, folding his arms. Sebastian sighed again, more irritably.

"I said I can handle this. There is no need for any of your assistance."

Sebastian left the three without another word, then he continued to make his way through the dark hallways, and in no less than a second he stood in front of Ciel's door. He didn't hear any more screaming yet the urge to open the door beckoned him. He paused as he wondered if he would end up being kicked out again. Sebastian shrugged; third time's a charm.

When he opened the door and the glowing light filled the room, his eyes widened when he didn't see Ciel upon his bed, but the bed sheets crumpled and most of them sagging over the side. His master was hiding somewhere. Perhaps within the closet? Sebastian declined the thought; much too claustrophobic for Ciel. That left with one answer left, and it was hidden underneath the bed.

Sebastian approached it and knelt so that the light from the candelabrum seeped through the sheets. "Master..."

He heard a frightened gasp.

Sebastian waited for words, but nothing sounded.

"My lord..." he called gently while he slowly lifted the sheets with his hand. The sight he witnessed next was enough to break any human's heart. Ciel lied in the foetal position with his head buried within his chest, his back facing the butler as his body trembled from either fright or the cold; possibly both. He looked so much smaller than compared to any of the times Sebastian glanced at him. The sight brought Sebastian back to the time they first met two years ago, when young Ciel waited inside the cage for someone to save him with so little power and hope. It aroused Sebastian's interest at first, yet seeing it the second time made him feel beyond that, which caused a troubled frown to form on his lips.

"Please, my lord, come out of there."

"N...no!" Ciel curled himself tighter and struggled to make his voice calm as possible. "Go away...leave me alone!"

He heard a sigh.

"Really, it's enough for you to have bad dreams but to act so stubborn as well," Sebastian said before pausing when he remembered not to go too far. Instead of saying more, Sebastian reached his gloved hand out towards him. _It's alright, I'm here._

Ciel's teary eyes stared at the offered hand with suspicion. Sure, Sebastian was his loyal butler who was ordered to take care of him, but to trust a _demon? _If Ciel had any sense he would reject in an instant, but as he sat under the bed scared out of his wits he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want Sebastian to see his weakness, but he was already caught. There was no escaping the eyes of a demon. So Ciel made his decision.

He slowly reached his small hand to take Sebastian's as he was carefully dragged out from under the bed. The earl kept his eyes to the floor but already knew Sebastian was smiling.

"Go ahead, laugh at me," Ciel muttered.

Sebastian was taken aback. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I know you want to. You find me this so pathetic, this weakness of mine. Well you want to know something?" Ciel stared furiously at the demon's eyes, leaking with tears but piercing firmly through his irises. "You can mock me all you like but don't you forget that I am human, and unlike demons they have feelings they cannot control, so laugh if you want, but if you think this is amusing then the door is that way." Ciel gestured towards the bedroom door with an angry look on his face, but Sebastian easily detected more emotions. Hurt, sadness, embarrassment, fear, and something else that surprised him.

"Well?" Ciel spat, "Is there anything else you want to laugh at?"

"Stop at once."

Ciel's eyes widened at his sentence as he felt two hands placing themselves on the boy's trembling shoulders.

"You think incredibly too much; humans have a habit of doing so, but I never said or did anything that had any intention to mock you. I only smiled because you trusted me." Sebastian kept his voice low and gentle as he wiped away the tears, "You may not trust me in return and I can understand that, however I would never in my life try to upset you. Ciel Phantomhive, your soul will never change even if you do feel fear."

"My soul..." Ciel murmured. Sebastian blinked.

"Pardon?"

"My soul is the only thing valuable to you," he replied, and afterwards smiled with a hint of sadness, "Though I guess I expected as much. You are a demon after all."

Sebastian frowned. "Where is your point heading?" he asked as he slowly backed Ciel against the wall.

Ciel gulped, suddenly afraid to confess. "Why would you want to know?"

"I'm curious."

"That's not a good excuse," Ciel muttered.

"Then I suppose I am left with one choice then."

Ciel froze, his nervousness building up. "And what is that?"

As soon as the boy's back touched the wall, Sebastian smirked softly and drew closer to his face. Ciel looked around for any chance of escape, but Sebastian's arms quickly ceased his chance and snaked around his small frame.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Ciel demanded.

Sebastian didn't want to crush the boy in his arms but it proved to be difficult as Ciel attempted to wriggle for freedom.

"Enough! Just what are you trying to do?!"

"If you will calm yourself for just a moment," Sebastian answered with slight amusement in his tone, but what was more noticeable to Ciel was the amount of care that hid beneath his crimson eyes.

_No...my father always gave me that look. Don't you dare think you can fool me now._

"Everything will be alright, Ciel."

The boy stiffened and Sebastian used the opportunity to pull him into a tight hug, running his hand up and down his back while his other hand threaded through his navy locks. Ciel's mind was smothered with confusion, and a tad of happiness, but he had yet to figure out the reason for that. Sebastian was surprised that Ciel didn't try to escape and smiled when he felt the earl slowly melt against his chest.

"You have nothing to worry about," Sebastian whispered soothingly, "I'm here."

Suddenly, without his control, Ciel felt tears threatening to escape.

"Why, Sebastian?" Ciel managed to choke out before a single tear fell down his cheek. Sebastian simply smiled and tightened the embrace.

"Because, Ciel, I love you."

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**PP12: Sebastian, you big softie :3 Ah! I-I mean...eheh...reviews please?**


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